News 8 checked in with York County farmers to find out why they lost a big chunk of cherry crops this season.

News 8 checked in with York County farmers to find out why they lost a big chunk of cherry crops this season.

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 1:58 PM EDT Jun 20, 2014

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT FRUIT GROWERS IN YORK COUNTY ARE BLAMING THE WEATHER FOR NEARLY WIPING OUT THIS YEAR'S CHERRY CROP. NEWS 8'S CHRIS HUSH EXPLAINS WHY 2-DAYS IN APRIL COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR RUINING THE ENTIRE SEASON. 3 <<SOT STAN BROWN<51:04 "sad, sad, sad."><<SOT STAND BROWN<52:29 "usually the branches are laid down with cherries."> BUT THIS YEAR...<<SOT STAN BROWN<59:00 "it's heart breaking when you come out to these shade trees."> STAN BROWN OF BROWN'S ORCHARDS SAYS IN HIS 66 YEARS HERE-- USUALLY IT'S ONLY ONE VARIETY OF CHERRIES AFFECTED IN A BAD HARVEST.<<SOT STAN BROWN<56:20 "but this is the first year we've had practically all of them hit."> BROWN SAYS IT STARTED WITH TWO COLD MORNINGS IN LATE APRIL--<<SOT STAN BROWN<56:36 "we went down to 25 degrees 1 morning, 26 the next."> AND THAT'S ALL IT TOOK..<<SOT STAN BROWN<04:56:51 "we weren't anticipating it.Didn't expect it until they blossomed and then they were dead."><<SOT CHRIS HUSH<05:49:04 "and if you do find cherries on the tree, you're more likely to come across this...fungus growing on them, that's ruining the remaining crop."><<SOT STAN BROWN<06:11 "that's a decayed cherry strictly a result of rot."> LIKE A VIRUS-- BROWN SAYS IT CAN SPREAD TO OTHER CHERRIES. THE ONLY "PICKING" AROUND HERE-- IS STRICTLY TO SAVE NEXT YEAR'S CROP.<<SOT STAN BROWN AND CHRIS<04:50:32 "oh my, that's terrible.That's got to come off too."> THE RAIN ISN'T HELPING...<<SOT STAN BROWN<05:00:59 "they crack, they split wide open."> WITH THE LOSS OF APPEAL-- COMES THE LOSS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.<<SOT STAN BROWN<58:36 "we can't just double the price. We can't begin to do that. We absorb it."> TO áFINDá THE CHERRY ON TOP-- BROWN IS LOOKING AT HIS OTHER CROPS...<<SOT STAN BROWN<<COVER?<04455::88"we don't have all our eggs in one basket."> BECAUSE FOR BROWN-- MONEY REALLY DOES GROW ON A TREE.<<SOT STAN BROWN<57:17 "something will let you down, then you have one of the other crops that will carry you along."> BROWN SAYS-- BLUEBERRIES ARE EXPECTED TO THRIVE THIS SEASON. IN YORK COUNTY, CH, N8. 3 IT'S A DIFFERENT STORY IN LANCASTER COUNTY. CHERRY HILL ORCHARDS TELLS NEWS 8 THAT ITS CHERRY CROP IS SMALLER... BUT NOT AS DAMAGED. WHILE BROWN'S ORCHARDS SAYS IT áWILLá STILL BE OPEN

What's damaging York County cherry trees?

News 8 checked in with York County farmers to find out why they lost a big chunk of cherry crops this season.